The first Top 12 results show was just as explosive as you might think it would be even though the contestant who left didn’t really surprise anyone.
The show opened with a weird confrontation between host Ryan Seacrest and judge Simon Cowell, and while it appeared they were joking with each other, it certainly seemed veiled in some degree of reality.
“Want to get the eyeballing out of the way?” he pointedly asked Ryan Seacrest at the start of Wednesday’s show, criticizing the Idol host for his “aggressive behavior” last night. (Indeed, Ryan has been going to bat for the scorned contestants more often this season.)
“I just thought that you needed to be a bit more constructive with them,” Ryan replied.
“Do you want my job?” Simon asked. “Because it felt like an audition.”
The pair eventually settled, but not before Cowell offered the host a warning.
“We’re friends, right? Just don’t ever do it again,” Cowell said.
The bottom three was no surprise as it included Paige Miles, Tim Urban and Lacey Brown.
The 24-year-old from Amarillo, Texas, was eliminated.